One of the first accounts of the term "employee engagement" was cited in a 1990 article in the Academy of Management Journal by William A. Kahn about the psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. While the discussion surrounding this topic may have initiated then, it didn’t really start gaining traction until about 10 years later. However, once the term caught on... there was no stopping it! So, where are we with employee engagement today?

Employees are the heart of any organization. And engaged employees are not only happier employees; the results consistently show higher productivity and better performance. When we think "what is employee engagement?" it is bigger than ping pong tables and nap pods in the office. Companies must make an investment in creating an effective and ongoing talent acquisition strategy to attract and retain employees whose values align closely with that of the company’s.

“Numbers don’t lie” is a phrase many of us have heard at some point during our lives. As an internal audit accountant in a previous role, I said it all the time. And now, as a professional in the HR space, it remains just as relevant.

Simply put, an organization cannot function or remain successful without highly skilled individuals. How to attract talented employees to your company is often the question HR leaders face. This is where recruitment marketing comes into play. To ensure you are attracting top talent, it is imperative to adopt a marketing mindset – one that considers industry and competitor trends; global, national and regional drivers; and effective methods of engagement. Of course, having a solid brand, and more importantly, solid employer brand, is the first step in the attraction phase. Once this has been accomplished, it is time to design and execute a strategic recruitment marketing plan to gain top talent.

In my professional life, I’ve worked for two very different companies, which both received high grades from employees when asked the question: "Would you recommend your company to others as a place of employment?" Most recently, at Montage, our employee survey revealed unanimous agreement – most of it strong agreement – that we have a great place to work. When you have this same intense feeling running deep within your employee base, your talent acquisition strategy needs to bottle it in every way possible. It’s the draw for so many others who strive to find such a workplace.

As some of you may have already seen, Human Capital Institute (HCI) released its 2015 Talent Pulse report, an annual report that explores the latest trends and challenges in talent management. This year, HCI honed in on the skills gap and how businesses can work with universities to proactively build their talent pipelines. Throughout the report, there were a few trends and best practices that emerged. While the skills gap is no surprise to anyone, HCI noted that it is no longer exclusive to STEM roles and is aggressively moving into other critical positions.

There is no doubt that the combination of a growing skills shortage, increased global expansion and a large portion of the workforce retiring is contributing to the increased demand for strategic workforce planning. Effective global recruitment solutions require strategic workforce forecasting that extends beyond the 12- to 18-month mark in order to make educated business decisions.

In May 2015, employers in the United States added 280,000 jobs. And recruiters are feeling the narrowing candidate market. Candidates in today’s market have options – and they know it. So whether you’re recruiting for a specialized registered nurse, java developer or senior sales professional, you need to be able to stand out in the crowd – because the odds are that your “perfect” profile candidates are receiving a lot of phone calls and emails about other jobs that would be “perfect” for them.

What makes a good leader? Have you identified potential up-and-comers within your organization that could one day lead your company? What happens, five years down the line, when you’ve failed to prepare your top employees for the managerial and leadership roles crucial to your organization’s success? These, and many other questions, are what managers everywhere worry about constantly – and for good reason.

You may be thinking, “strategic workforce what?!” Rest assured, you're not the only one perplexed by what some people refer to as headcount planning. But it's much more than that! Having taken this topic across the world and the seven seas, allow me to simplify this concept.